THE REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY OF PEEL

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS COMMITTEE

MINUTES

GRC-1/2021
-
Council Chamber, 5th Floor
Regional Administrative Headquarters
10 Peel Centre Drive, Suite A
Brampton, Ontario
Members Present:
  • P. Brown
  • B. Crombie
  • S. Dasko
  • J. Downey
  • J. Innis
  • N. Iannicca
  • K. Ras
  • R. Santos
  • A. Thompson
Members Absent:
  • G.S. Dhillon
  • A. Groves
  • M. Palleschi
  • P. Vicente
Staff Present:
  • J. Baker, Chief Administrative Officer
  • K. Lockyer, Regional Clerk and Interim Commissioner of Corporate Services
  • J. Pittini, Interim Commissioner of Finance and Chief Financial Officer
  • P. Caza, Acting Regional Solicitor
  • A. Smith, Chief Planner
  • J. Sheehy, Commissioner of Human Services
  • N. Polsinelli, Commissioner of Health Services
  • K. Medenblik, Manager of Strategic Public Policy and External Relations
  • A. Adams, Deputy Clerk and Acting Director of Clerk's
  • C. Thomson, Deputy Clerk and Manager of Legislative Services
  • S. Valleau, Committee Clerk
  • R. Khan, Legislative Technical Coordinator
  • S. MacGregor, Legislative Technical Coordinator

1.
CALL TO ORDER
 

Councillor Innis, Committee Chair, called the Government Relations Committee meeting to order on April 1, 2021 at 11:04 a.m., in the Council Chambers, Regional Administrative Headquarters, 10 Peel Centre Drive.

Councillor Vicente was absent due to personal matters.

Councillor Crombie arrived at 11:07 a.m.

Councillor Crombie departed at 12:10 p.m.

Regional Chair Iannicca departed at 12:11 pm

Other Regional Councillors present: Councillor Starr

2.
DECLARATIONS OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
 

Nil.

3.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
 

  • RECOMMENDATION GRC-1-2021

    That the agenda for the April 1, 2021 Government Relations Committee meeting, be approved.

4.
DELEGATIONS
 

4.1
Ruby Sahota, Member of Parliament, Brampton North
This item has attachments. 

1.Ruby Sahota, Member of Parliament, Brampton North.pdf
2.Presentation .pdf

Providing an Update on Federal Issues

  • Received

Ruby Sahota, Member of Parliament, Brampton North, provided an overview of federal priorities, funding received by and available to the Region of Peel, and presented opportunities for moving forward through the COVID-19 pandemic.

In response to questions from Councillors regarding COVID-19 vaccine supply and demand for Peel Region, vaccine hesitancy, paid sick leave, and COVID-19 test result wait times, Ruby Sahota undertook to bring the concerns back to her federal partners and advocate on behalf of the Region of Peel. Councillor Ras requested that Region of Peel staff provide MP Sahota with information regarding vaccine uptake among front line workers in Peel.

Chair Innis advised of the Region of Peel’s position in support of national standards for compostable products. She stated that having these national standards, along with moving forward with the plastics ban, will be important to support the Region of Peel’s efforts to meet its diversion targets.

Councillor Thompson requested that MP Sahota advocate on behalf of small businesses in the form of complete tax forgiveness for a period of two years.

Councillor Dasko identified that small businesses operating out of homes do not qualify for existing relief programs and owners still have to pay mortgages.

5.
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS UPDATE
This item has attachments. 

1.Presentation.pdf

Discussion led by Keith Medenblik, Manager, Strategic Public Policy and External Relations, Suzanne Finn, Director, Early Years and Child Care Services and Alexandra Walsh, Advisor, Early Years System 

  • Received
  • RECOMMENDATION GRC-2-2021

    That the report to be listed on the April 22, 2021 Regional Council agenda titled “Sustaining a Strong Early Years and Child Care Sector” include information on the potential impacts on the tax base of maintaining current service levels.

Keith Medenblik, Manager, Strategic Public Policy and External Relations, provided an overview of the federal and provincial landscapes, the Region’s immediate and long-term Council-endorsed advocacy priorities and themes, the federal and provincial pre-budget submissions, and emerging trends and key policy developments.

Items 6.1 to 7.3 were dealt with.

Suzanne Finn, Director, Early Years and Child Care Services and Alexandra Walsh, Advisor, Early Years System, provided an overview of child care advocacy priorities; the impacts of COVID-19 and provincial funding cuts; and, identified opportunities for continuous improvement.
 
Councillor Thompson requested that the impact on the tax base of maintaining current service levels be included in the future report to Regional Council.

6.
REPORTS
 

6.1
Update on the Region of Peel’s Advocacy Priorities
This item has attachments. 

1.Update on the Region of Peel’s Advocacy Priorities.pdf
2.Appendix I – Region of Peel Advocacy Activity and Progress Report Table.pdf

(For information)

  • Received

6.2
2021 Virtual Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Annual Conference
This item has attachments. 

1.2021 Virtual Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Annual Conference.pdf
  • RECOMMENDATION GRC-3-2021

    That the approach outlined in the report listed on the April 1, 2021 Government Relations Committee agenda entitled "2021 Virtual Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Annual Conference," be endorsed.

7.
COMMUNICATIONS
 

8.
OTHER BUSINESS
 

Nil.

9.
IN CAMERA MATTERS
 

Nil.

10.
NEXT MEETING
 

Thursday, June 17, 2021
11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Council Chamber, 5th Floor
Regional Administrative Headquarters
10 Peel Centre Drive, Suite A
Brampton, Ontario

Please forward regrets to Sabrina Valleau, Committee Clerk, at [email protected].

11.
ADJOURNMENT
 

The meeting adjourned at 12:42 p.m.

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